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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24010357">Mourning at a Safe Distance</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunkelles/pseuds/sunkelles'>sunkelles</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Het, Past Abuse, Past Scorptra, Post-Canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:14:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>967</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24010357</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunkelles/pseuds/sunkelles</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The war is won, Horde-Prime is dead, and Entrapta doesn't understand why Hordak's not happier about that first fact.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Entrapta &amp; Scorpia (She-Ra), Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>98</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Mourning at a Safe Distance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/titaniumsansa/gifts">titaniumsansa</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>i hope that you like this one! i know that you love entrapdak, and i thought that you might enjoy some good, quality People Not Liking Catra </p>
<p>i was also kind of thinking about that idea that you've talked about with mourning people being easier when they're dead instead of just gone from your life, and how that would super hella apply with an abusive relationship.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Horde-Prime is dead. When she was working with the Horde, she thought that nothing could matter more than having the resources and support to conduct her experiments. But Horde-Prime doesn’t care for knowledge; he only cares for power and hurting people. Entrapta is relieved that he's dead and gone.</p>
<p>Entrapta doesn’t care much for people as a group. They’re hard to understand and they look at her funny, and she never feels understood by them. But she does care for a few individual persons, and one of them is the person that Horde-Prime hurt most. </p>
<p>Hordak stands alone in his lab, poking his little screwdriver inside the open heart of a machine that he’s clearly not fixing, just screwing with. The lighting in the room is so low that even Entrapta wouldn’t be able to see the tiny little gears, and she wears goggles that increase her night-vision capacity. </p>
<p>“Hey there,” Entrapta says, voice much too loud and much too perky. Hordak lets out a deep sigh, and his shoulders slump. He does not, however, turn around. </p>
<p>“I need some time to think, Entrapta,” he says. Entrapta can’t always (or ever) tell what people are thinking from their tones. </p>
<p>“Are you angry at me?” she asks. Hordak <em> does </em> turn around then.</p>
<p>“No, I am not angry,” he says, “but I would prefer to be alone.” She can’t see much of his face in this light. Entrapta reaches into her pocket and pulls out her light. She shines it on Hordak, and sees that he is clenching the screwdriver tightly in his hands. When she shines it in his eyes, she sees that they are wet. </p>
<p>Then, she sees that he hisses and turns away from her light. </p>
<p>“That hurt,” he mutters, refusing to turn back again. </p>
<p>“You were crying,” she observes. </p>
<p>“I wasn’t,” he hisses. </p>
<p>“Yes you were,” she says, “I saw you.” She hears Hordak sigh. Entrapta turns to Emily, and gives her robot a soft pat. </p>
<p>“Can you turn on the light for me?” she asks. Emily bee-boops in agreement and races off to turn the light back on. The room lights up an instant later, and Hordak comes into focus. He turns around to see her, and his eyes are still red. The white skin underneath his eyes is shiny with tears. </p>
<p>“I don’t understand what’s wrong,” Entrapta says, “we won.” That’s all that anyone can talk about. They restored Hordak’s memories, and he helped them defeat Horde-Prime. Glimmer and the other princesses are back on their thrones, Shadow Weaver has fled into the night, and Hordak. Well, he doesn’t get to keep ruling, but he’s been pardoned by the princesses.</p>
<p>Horde-Prime can’t hurt him anymore and they came out on the winning side of the war. What could be the problem? </p>
<p>“Yes,” he says, looking down at his hands, “we did.” </p>
<p>“Horde-Prime is gone. He can’t hurt you anymore.” </p>
<p>“He can’t,” Hordak admits, “because I dealt my own brother the killing blow.” His tone isn’t excited, but bitter. If he's unhappy about this, then that could only mean-</p>
<p>“You still care about him, even after how he treated you,” Entrapta says. </p>
<p>Hordak opens his mouth and says, “I- I.”He bites down on his lip. Whatever he was going to say stalls out like an engine on its last legs. </p>
<p>“You know, Scorpia has the same problem,” Entrapta says, “Catra hurt her, but Scorpia still cares about her. She even thinks that Catra has changed now.” </p>
<p>“Catra hasn’t changed,” Hordak hisses. He might have worked with Catra reluctantly to bring down his brother, but Hordak doesn’t trust Catra at all. Too many betrayals have given Catra that reputation with many of her former friends.</p>
<p>“I know,” Entrapta squeals, arms and hair flying out in a gesture of agreement, “I keep telling her that Catra will hurt her again. That’s all Catra ever does!” Maybe Catra’s made up with Adora and forged a relationship with Glimmer, but that doesn’t mean she still won’t mistreat Scorpia. Entrapta isn’t letting Catra near one of the few people she cares about. </p>
<p>“Yes,” Hordak says, “you’re right. Your friend Scorpia should not associate with her.” </p>
<p>“Thank you!” Entrapta says, gesturing to Hordak. He moves a hand to his chin, and starts stroking. </p>
<p>“I see what you're doing here. You’re saying that me mourning my brother is unhealthy,” he says. </p>
<p>“Nah,” she says, because Entrapta isn’t sure she's ever met a “healthy” coping mechanism, “I’m just saying it’s safe for you to care, even if it doesn’t make sense. You missing him won’t bring him back to hurt you again.” Loving Horde-Prime was dangerous for Hordak when his brother was still alive, but now there’s no fear that he’ll fall back into his brother’s web. Now there’s just feelings. </p>
<p>It’s not like Scorpia, where every tumultuous emotion might send her running back into Catra’s arms. Grief isn’t easy to deal with, but it’s easier to grieve Horde-Prime than try to live with him. </p>
<p>Hordak nods at her, and she doesn’t comment on how his eyes have gotten misty again. She pulls out a wrench from her belt. </p>
<p>“Now what are you working on?” she asks. </p>
<p>“I wasn’t working on anything,” he admits. She reaches back in and pulls out a screwdriver. </p>
<p>“You are now,” she says, “let’s see what we can make this thing do.” With a little bit of tinkering, she’s sure they can make something interesting happen. Hordak sends her a skeptical look, then grabs the screwdriver out of her hand. He nods, and starts towards the mechanical monstrosity he was messing with when she got here. </p>
<p>With two heads, she’s sure they can figure out something new and innovative. Science is always here when they need it. No matter what, they’ll always have that in common.</p>
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